Little Miss Mascara

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Judging by the sound of the rain lashing against my window, I think it is safe to say that the summer is well and truly over. That means no more opportunities to spend a couple of hours in the garden topping up the tan. So if the pale and interesting look is not one that you are ready to work just yet, then you'll most likely reach for the fake tan for a night on the tiles.

At this stage of the game, we should all be well versed in the do's and don'ts of fake tan application, in fact we should be able to reel them off like our times tables by now. And how lovely and sun-kissed we look sipping wine with the girls on a Saturday night while the rain falls outside. And where there are girls there are cameras, and where there is a camera, there are photos which will inevitably end up on Facebook by the next evening. And there is nothing worse than looking in the mirror at yourself with your lovely dress, gorgeous heels and hair and make up that Ms Cole would be proud of, and then seeing the photos where your face is shining a lovely shade of white while your neck and limbs simmer away seductively. We all know the tanned body white face syndrome- cringe.

Never fear, follow these easy peasy tips and you'll be beaming away with your matching skin tones!
-Mix a little* of your usual liquid foundation with little* liquid bronzer, ie Rimmel Sunshimmer (Light Matte or if have really gone for it with the fake tan, Medium Matte- The Shimmer versions should never be considered, for face or body) and apply with either a foundation brush or a round bronzer brush. Mixing the bronzer with the foundation will give you a nice glow without being orange, and looks far more becoming that layering on a dark shade of foundation
-Your face should still be a touch lighter than the rest of your body (if you haven't been too heavy handed with the liquid bronzer that is) so now you can take a nice powder bronzer, matte please ladies no glitter this is not a millennium party you are attending, and LIGHTLY dust over the apples of your cheeks and you nose and forehead- the trick is to think of where the sun would usually touch your face. Remember when you sweep the brush across the bronzer to blow the excess off before it touches your face.
- A little sweep of blusher on your cheeks and voilà, you look like you have just stepped off the beach. Natural, and not an orange hue in sight.